BAMMA 7 results: Wallhead downs Trigg in split, Daley wins decision

http://mmajunkie.com“Judo” Jim Wallhead (22-6) returned to the win column with a hard-fought split-decision win over longtime veteran Frank Trigg (21-9).

And while both fighters sport decorated grappling backgrounds, it was the standup game that determined a winner.

The contest served as the featured bout of Saturday’s “BAMMA 7: Trigg vs. Wallhead” event, which took place at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England.

Both fighters opened cautiously, but it was Trigg who looked sharp early, landed an assortment of kicks to his opponent’s legs. An early clinch proved fruitless, and the two appeared evenly matched in the position. However, in the latter stages of the frame, Wallhead wobbled Trigg on the feet with a left hook before taking him to the floor and landing vicious ground-and-pound shots on the floor. A cut opened up on Trigg’s cheek, but he survived until the bell.

The striking opened up a bit in the second, and while Wallhead appeared to be throwing the more powerful blows, it was Trigg who kept the fight competitive by landing a greater volume of punches. Wallhead wasn’t ever rattled by the shots, but he did find himself defending a bit more than he had in the opening frame.

With the contest seemingly up for grabs in the final frame, both fighters again looked comfortable boxing. Wallhead staggered his opponent early, but Trigg continued to press forward. The pair eventually moved into the clinch, and Wallhead earned a takedown against the cage. Trigg broke guard and moved quickly to his feet, but Wallhead continued to press in and keep the action tight.

Both fighters appeared to tire in the closing stages, though Trigg did press the action behind a series of jabs. A quick flurry ended the contest, but Wallhead’s early action seemed enough to take the bout. It was, but just barely, as Wallhead was awarded a split-decision win, 29-28, 28-29 and 30-27.

In the night’s co-feature, Paul Daley (28-11-2) and Jordan Radev (23-5) engaged in a 176-pound catchweight fight necessitated by “Semtex’s” inability to make the welterweight limit.

Daley started patiently on the feet, and he once again showed improved takedown defense as Radev was unable to bring the fight to the floor. Forced to fight in Daley’s preferred area of attack, Radev absorbed a great deal of punishment on the feet. Punches, kicks and knees were delivered, but Radev somehow remained in the fight and actually looked to push his own attack in the closing moments of the opening round – though he was nearly stopped by a knee to the dome at the bell.

In the second, Radev landed a few crisp shots on the feet, but it was Daley who was on the attack with flying knees from distance and powerful punches and knees from closer quarters. Radev showed incredible chin as he absorbed damage in the standup game, but the action was predominantly one-sided.

The third round opened similarly to the first two, but Radev finally scored his takedown early in the frame. Up two rounds to none, Daley seemed content to ride out the frame on his back. And while Radev deserved credit for persevering, he was unable to score a finish during his time on top. At the final bell, it was obvious who had earned the win, and Daley was awarded the unanimous decision, setting up a potential fight with recent BAMMA signee Nate Marquardt.

With BAMMA’s first-ever Lonsdale British middleweight title on the line, Jack Marshman (9-0) survived an early Carl Noon (7-2) onslaught to score a come-from-behind victory in the third frame.

Facing a knockout artist, Noon took the fight to the floor early and pounded away from top position. Heavy punches bloodied Marshman’s face as Noon blasted away at will. Marshman did threaten with an earnest armbar attempt that nearly caught Noon off-guard, but Noon retracted the appendage and remained on top until the bell sounded.

In the second, Marshman implemented stronger takedown defense, sprawling and brawling his way to a dramatic turnaround. Although his left eye was nearly closed from the first-frame damage, Marshman landed several crisp shots on the feet. The muscular Noon fatigued dramatically as the round wore on, fighting with his hands on his hips and barely able to remain upright. Marshman continued to press as Noon simply covered on the floor, but the tired fighter lasted to see the final frame.

In the third, Noon had little to offer, and Marshman teed off from the opening bell. Noon, doubled over in exhaustion, shot in for a lazy takedown attempt, and Marshman transitioned quickly to mount and forced a stoppage with a series of heavy punches.

With the thrilling win, Marshman remained upright and claimed the newly issued BAMMA belt.

The contest wasn’t always fought at a high-pace, and Winner looked more comfortable staying at distance and picking his opponent apart on the feet. Ball also seemed a little too patient with his advances, and it ultimately prevented him from ever earning any real significant offense. Winner turned up the heat in the final stages of the third round, but he would have to settle for a clean sweep of the judges’ scores rather than earning a finish.

With Vital appearing to tire in the third round, Sinclair uncorked a massive right uppercut that sent his opponent to the canvas. Vital tried to scramble up to his feet, but Sinclair delivered an additional right hand that sealed the result at the three-minute mark.

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